British Cycling has put out their first concussion guide for the safe return of riders with traumatic brain injuries. They have also created more authority for organizers to remove athletes from competition based on the time honoured wisdom of “If in doubt, sit them out”.
The image below from the British Cycling organization and we shall add more to this discussion in terms of the types of rehabilitation that both maximize concussion recovery and also help to prevent these injuries from occurring in the first place.
The Graduated Return to Play Protocol is in place across many sports. The time factor of 21 days is a newer addition that accounts for the time required for brain energy metabolism to recover.